Sourcing Fundamentals — Full Course Syllabus

Atomic, hands-on skills for building effective Boolean queries, performing X-ray searches on public sites, and querying resume databases for scalable candidate sourcing.

1. 1. Boolean operator ANDUse AND to require that multiple terms appear in a result.
2. 2. Boolean operator ORUse OR to allow any one of multiple terms to satisfy the query.
3. 3. Boolean NOT / minus exclusionExclude results containing a term using NOT or the minus sign.
4. 4. Phrase search with quotesMatch an exact sequence of words by surrounding them with double quotes.
5. 5. Title-targeted searchConstruct queries that focus on job title variations to surface relevant bios and resumes.
6. 6. X‑ray search: site: operatorUse site: to restrict public search engine results to a specific domain or collection of domains.
7. 7. X‑ray search: filetypeFind resumes and CVs by restricting results to file types like PDF, DOC, or DOCX using filetype:.
8. 8. Saved searches and alertsSet up and manage saved queries and notifications to continuously surface new matches over time.
9. 9. Privacy-respecting search practicesFollow guidelines to respect candidate privacy and platform terms when sourcing from public and private databases.
10. 10. Exporting and deduping candidate listsBest practices for exporting search results and removing duplicates before outreach.
11. 11. Using browser operators and shortcutsPractical browser tips and keyboard shortcuts that speed up X‑ray searches and result triage.
12. 12. Monitoring and logging sourcing activityKeep a lightweight log of queries, results, and outreach to measure the effectiveness of sourcing techniques.
13. 13. Grouping with parenthesesControl operator precedence by grouping parts of a Boolean expression with parentheses.
14. 14. Wildcard operatorsUse wildcards (e.g., *) to match partial words or variable suffixes where supported.
15. 15. Field-restricted search (site-specific fields)Target specific fields like title, company, or location when the database or search engine supports field qualifiers.
16. 16. Skill keyword expansionGenerate and include synonyms, related tools, and alternate spellings to broaden skill coverage.
17. 17. Boolean nesting for role familiesCombine grouped OR lists (e.g., title synonyms) with AND constraints to target role families precisely.
18. 18. Excluding false positivesIdentify and subtract common misleading terms from queries to reduce irrelevant matches.
19. 19. X‑ray search: inurl and intitleUse inurl: and intitle: to bias results toward pages where keywords appear in the URL or title.
20. 20. X‑ray search: avoiding site blocks and quotasRecognize search engine usage limits and techniques to ethically pace queries to avoid rate limits or blocks.
21. 21. Searching social profilesConstruct queries tailored to LinkedIn, GitHub, Twitter, and other public profiles to source passive candidates.
22. 22. Resume database keyword scoringUnderstand how to prioritize candidates by matching strength and how keyword frequency affects relevance in ATS/resume databases.
23. 23. Boolean search in ATS (exact syntax differences)Recognize and adapt to ATS-specific Boolean syntax quirks and limitations versus search engines.
24. 24. Query templating and parameterizationCreate reusable query templates with replaceable parameters for roles, skills, and locations.
25. 25. Using negative keyword listsMaintain and apply lists of negative keywords to consistently reduce noise across queries.
26. 26. Boolean best practices for diversity sourcingApply query techniques that avoid biased keyword exclusions and help surface diverse candidate pools without illegal targeting.
27. 27. Evaluating search precision vs recallMeasure and balance precision (relevance) and recall (coverage) when tuning queries.
28. 28. Iterative query refinementUse result analysis to iteratively modify queries—adding synonyms, tightening exclusions, or adjusting fields.
29. 29. Combining multiple data sourcesStrategically merge results from search engines, social sites, and ATS databases to create a richer candidate list without duplicating effort.
30. 30. Contact discovery basicsEthical techniques to locate professional contact information associated with sourced profiles.
31. 31. Proximity operatorsFind terms appearing within a specified distance of each other using proximity syntax where available.
32. 32. Advanced Google operators (AROUND, source)Leverage advanced engine-specific operators like AROUND(n) or source: where supported to refine results.
33. 33. Parsing resumes at scaleUnderstand the basics of how resume parsers extract structured data so searches can target parsed fields effectively.
34. 34. Localization and internationalization of queriesAdapt queries for different languages, scripts, name formats, and regional job-title conventions.